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A group of artists held dialogues with women affected by
domestic violence, creating the works that form the basis of the exhibition,
Domestic.
ARTISTS will be exploring domestic violence in an exhibition
at GoetheonMain in Jeppestown this August, Women's Month.
The exhibition, Domestic, opens on Thursday, 6 August at
6.30pm; Makole Maponya, a member of the Wiphold Board, is the keynote speaker.
It ends on 28 August, and is organised by the Goethe Institut, the German
organisation devoted to boosting the arts and culture. National Women's Day is
on 9 August.
Zanele Muholi: engaging in a dialogue with women affected by domestic violence
Personal interaction and engagement between artist and subject
is the aim of the exhibition. It is intended to stimulate a dialogue that
encourages an understanding of the conditions and underlying principles behind
domestic abuse.
"Domestic violence thrives in South Africa," explains curator
Jacki McInnes. Women who are not directly involved in domestic violence tend to
ignore it, and those who are, would rather not talk about it, she adds.
Participating artists were asked to engage in a dialogue,
either literal or metaphorical, with women who were in some way affected by or
were victims of domestic violence and portray this in the exhibition.
These artists are Jodi Bieber, Reshma Chhiba, Hannelie
Coetzee, Penny George, Gabrielle Goliath, Nadine Hutton, Alison Kearney,
Nandipha Mntambo, Zanele Muholi, and Diane Victor. Each of these artists tells
a story of domestic violence that somehow affected them either in their families
or relationships.
Telling stories
McInnes and co-curator Melissa Mboweni believe that by telling particular
stories of affected individuals, the exhibition will have more relevance for
others who may be affected.
According to McInnes, the idea of "individual stories" aims
to dispel the myth that women involved in domestic violence have character
defects and in some way bring the violence on themselves.
"The idea behind the exhibition is basically making art by
people who have not been affected by violence with people who have and are
affected by domestic violence - again spreading the message that violence is
not acceptable."
South
Africa boasts one of the most progressive
constitutions in the world and yet the advancement towards human dignity, safety
and personal fulfillment will continue to be logged as long as prejudice,
ignorance and social inequality muddy the waters, she points out.
McInnes says there will be four big images of the women who
were abused, a soundtrack of their interviews, and a video. There will also be
an artists' walkabout on Saturday 15 August at 12pm.
GoetheonMain
Domestic is on at GoetheonMain from 6 to 28 August. The gallery is at 245 Main Street, on
the corner of Berea Street,
in Jeppestown. For more information about the exhibition, call Kaja Kopkow on
011 442 3232 or email
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or visit the Goethe Institut website .
To get there, go to Arts On Main on the corner of Berea and Main streets,
next to the highway. The building can be identified by the original signage for
DF Corlett Construction on the north and western facades. GoetheonMain is in
the white art deco building after the first set of garage doors on Main Street.
August is Women's Month in South Africa. It has stretched the
commemoration of National Women's Day on 9 August, set aside to remember the
march in Pretoria
in 1956 by women against apartheid pass laws. Today women's contribution to
society is celebrated, and their challenges are highlighted in various ways
throughout the month.
Wiphold, founded in 1994 by four successful black women
executives as an organisation dedicated to women's empowerment, is driven by a
dedication to the empowerment of women and black women in particular. In 1999,
it became the first women's group to be listed on the JSE.
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